Deuteronomy 33
Modern English Version
Moses Blesses Israel(A)
33 Now this is the blessing with which Moses, the man of God, blessed the children of Israel before his death. 2 He said:
The Lord came from Sinai and rose up from Seir to them;
He shone forth from Mount Paran,
and He came with ten thousands of holy ones;
from His right hand went a fiery law[a] for them.
3 Surely, He loved the people;
all His holy ones are in Your hand,
and they sit down at Your feet;
everyone receives Your words.
4 Moses decreed to us a law,
the inheritance of the assembly of Jacob.
5 He was king over Jeshurun,
when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together.
6 Let Reuben live, and not die,
and let not his men be few.
7 This is the blessing to Judah. He said:
Listen, O Lord, to the voice of Judah,
and bring him to his people;
may his hands contend for them,
and may You help him against his enemies.
8 Of Levi he said:
Let Your Thummim and Your Urim be with Your godly one,
whom You tested at Massah,
and with whom You contended at the waters of Meribah,
9 who said to his father and to his mother,
“I have not seen him,”
and he did not acknowledge his brothers
or know his own children,
for they have kept Your word
and guarded Your covenant.
10 They will teach Jacob Your judgments
and Israel Your law.
They will put incense before You
and the whole burnt offerings on your altar.
11 Bless, O Lord, his substance,
and accept the work of his hands;
run through the loins of them that rise against him
and of them that hate him,
so that they rise never again.
12 Of Benjamin he said:
The beloved of the Lord
will dwell in safety by Him,
and the Lord will protect him all day long;
he will dwell between His shoulders.
13 Of Joseph he said:
May his land be blessed of the Lord,
from the harvest of the heavens,
by the dew,
and by the deep crouching beneath,
14 by the precious fruits brought forth by the sun,
and by the choice things put forth by the moon,
15 by the finest things of the ancient mountains,
and by the choice things of the everlasting hills,
16 by the best things of the earth and its fullness,
and by the goodwill of Him who dwelt in the bush.
May the blessing rest on the head of Joseph,
on top of the head of him who was separated from his brothers.
17 His glory is like the firstborn of his bull,
and his horns are like the horns of a wild ox;
with them he will push the peoples together to the ends of the earth;
they are the ten thousands of Ephraim,
and they are the thousands of Manasseh.
18 Of Zebulun he said:
Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going outside,
and Issachar in your tents.
19 They will call the peoples to the mountain;
there they will offer sacrifices of righteousness,
for they will draw out the abundance of the seas
and the treasures hid in the sand.
20 Of Gad he said:
Blessed be he who enlarges Gad;
he dwells as a lion
and tears an arm and the crown of a head.
21 He provided the first part for himself,
because there, in a portion of the ruler, he was seated.
He came with the heads of the people.
He executed the justice of the Lord,
and His ordinances with Israel.
22 Of Dan he said:
Dan is a lion’s whelp;
he will leap forth from Bashan.
23 Of Naphtali he said:
O Naphtali, satisfied with favor
and full with the blessing of the Lord,
possess the west and the south.
24 Of Asher he said:
May Asher be blessed with children;
may he be acceptable to his brothers,
and may he dip his foot in oil.[b]
25 Your sandals will be iron and brass;
according to your days, so shall be your strength.
26 There is none like the God of Jeshurun,
who rides through the heavens to help you,
and in His majesty through the skies.
27 The eternal God is your refuge,
and underneath you are the everlasting arms;
He will drive out the enemy before you,
and will say, “Destroy them.”
28 Israel dwells in safety;
the fountain of Jacob will be secluded
in a land of grain and new wine;
its heavens will rain down dew.
29 Blessed are you, O Israel!
Who is like you,
a people saved by the Lord,
the shield of your help,
who is the sword of your majesty!
Your enemies will cringe before you,
and you will tread upon their high places.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 33:2 Or flashing lightning.
- Deuteronomy 33:24 A metaphor depicting prosperity.
Deuteronomy 33
English Standard Version
Moses' Final Blessing on Israel
33 This is the blessing with which Moses (A)the man of God blessed the people of Israel before his death. 2 He said,
(B)“The Lord came from Sinai
and dawned from Seir upon us;[a]
he shone forth from Mount Paran;
he came (C)from the ten thousands of holy ones,
with flaming fire[b] at his right hand.
3 Yes, (D)he loved his people,[c]
(E)all his holy ones were in his[d] hand;
(F)so they followed[e] in your steps,
receiving direction from you,
4 when (G)Moses commanded us a law,
as a possession for the assembly of Jacob.
5 Thus the Lord[f] (H)became king in (I)Jeshurun,
when the heads of the people were gathered,
all the tribes of Israel together.
6 (J)“Let Reuben live, and not die,
but let his men be few.”
7 And this he said of Judah:
“Hear, O Lord, the voice of Judah,
and bring him in to his people.
With your hands contend[g] for him,
and be a help against his adversaries.”
8 And (K)of Levi he said,
“Give to Levi[h] (L)your Thummim,
and your Urim to your godly one,
(M)whom you tested at Massah,
with whom you quarreled at the waters of Meribah;
9 who said of his father and mother,
‘I regard them not’;
(N)he disowned his brothers
and ignored his children.
For (O)they observed your word
and kept your covenant.
10 (P)They shall teach Jacob your rules
and Israel your law;
(Q)they shall put incense before you
and (R)whole burnt offerings on your altar.
11 Bless, O Lord, his substance,
and (S)accept the work of his hands;
crush the loins of his adversaries,
of those who hate him, that they rise not again.”
12 (T)Of Benjamin he said,
“The beloved of the Lord dwells in safety.
The High God[i] surrounds him all day long,
and dwells between his shoulders.”
13 And (U)of Joseph he said,
(V)“Blessed by the Lord be his land,
with the choicest gifts of heaven (W)above,[j]
and of the deep that crouches beneath,
14 with the choicest fruits of the sun
and the rich yield of the months,
15 with the finest produce of the ancient mountains
and the abundance of (X)the everlasting hills,
16 with the best gifts of the earth and (Y)its fullness
and the favor of (Z)him who dwells in the bush.
May these rest on the head of Joseph,
on the pate of him who is prince among his brothers.
17 (AA)A firstborn bull[k]—he has majesty,
and his horns are the horns of a (AB)wild ox;
with them (AC)he shall gore the peoples,
all of them, to the ends of the earth;
(AD)they are the ten thousands of Ephraim,
and they are the thousands of Manasseh.”
18 And of Zebulun he said,
(AE)“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,
and Issachar, in your tents.
19 They shall call peoples (AF)to their mountain;
there they offer (AG)right sacrifices;
for they draw from the abundance of the seas
and the hidden treasures of the sand.”
20 And (AH)of Gad he said,
“Blessed be he who enlarges Gad!
Gad crouches (AI)like a lion;
he tears off arm and scalp.
21 (AJ)He chose the best of the land for himself,
for there a commander's portion was reserved;
and (AK)he came with the heads of the people,
with Israel he executed the justice of the Lord,
and his judgments for Israel.”
22 And (AL)of Dan he said,
23 And (AO)of Naphtali he said,
“O Naphtali, sated with favor,
and full of the blessing of the Lord,
(AP)possess the lake[l] and the south.”
24 And (AQ)of Asher he said,
“Most blessed of sons be Asher;
let him be the favorite of his brothers,
and let him (AR)dip his foot in oil.
25 Your bars shall be iron and bronze,
and as your days, so shall your strength be.
26 (AS)“There is none like God, O (AT)Jeshurun,
(AU)who rides through the heavens to your help,
through the skies in his majesty.
27 The eternal God is your (AV)dwelling place,[m]
and underneath are the everlasting arms.[n]
And he thrust out the enemy before you
and said, ‘Destroy.’
28 So Israel lived in safety,
(AW)Jacob lived (AX)alone,[o]
in a land of grain and wine,
whose heavens drop down dew.
29 Happy are you, O Israel! (AY)Who is like you,
a people (AZ)saved by the Lord,
(BA)the shield of your help,
and the sword of your triumph!
Your enemies shall come fawning to you,
and you shall tread upon their backs.”
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 33:2 Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew them
- Deuteronomy 33:2 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
- Deuteronomy 33:3 Septuagint; Hebrew peoples
- Deuteronomy 33:3 Hebrew your
- Deuteronomy 33:3 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
- Deuteronomy 33:5 Hebrew Thus he
- Deuteronomy 33:7 Probable reading; Hebrew With his hands he contended
- Deuteronomy 33:8 Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint; Masoretic Text lacks Give to Levi
- Deuteronomy 33:12 Septuagint; Hebrew dwells in safety by him. He
- Deuteronomy 33:13 Two Hebrew manuscripts and Targum; Hebrew with the dew
- Deuteronomy 33:17 Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint, Samaritan; Masoretic Text His firstborn bull
- Deuteronomy 33:23 Or west
- Deuteronomy 33:27 Or a dwelling place
- Deuteronomy 33:27 Revocalization of verse 27 yields He subdues the ancient gods, and shatters the forces of old
- Deuteronomy 33:28 Hebrew the abode of Jacob was alone
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
